The Rival(A Rikku Fanfic)
by Masterless
Summary: The story of Rikku dealing with those who have qualms with the way the Eternal Calm was attained. A fan depiction of the events between FFX and FFX-2. More chapters can be found in my ronin-gh0st Deviant Art account!
1. Prologue

Prologue

The ropes held too tight that any sort of movement from her causes strain on any part of her body that is exposed. With her attire being the way it is and the rope work of her bondage, Rikku is bound to feel the coarse material in every flinch of a muscle. To stop moving altogether would probably be prudent if she wanted to avoid the rope burns and such, however her freedom is far more important than the discomfort she is going through. She isn't entirely sure what is in store for her but she doesn't have any plans on finding out so just like she has been doing for however long, Rikku struggles uncomfortably; she fights her hardest against the bonds that are keeping her in this taut and grueling hog tie, kept in a solitary tent away from the rest of the group that had capture her. All she can surmise is that her captives are indeed Al Bhed like her; again their purpose are unknown but it could be for a myriad of reasons; all she knows is that having helped with Yuna's pilgrimage, she lost a lot of the rapport she used to have with her people.

"…Nnhfhmhfhfuuhmmnhfch…. N'm gunhng fhu mnnnnh Bmufuuhm…. fum …. nufh buuhnhng un fhnhmuh….!"

She redundantly screamed through her gag in regards to her brother's lack of punctuality. In her mind, he is partial to blame for her current situation right now; though the majority of it she knows could be on her for lacking the ability to truly deter this situation. Groaning through her own scarf that is now being used as a means to impede her speech, Rikku lays her head on the ground for a moment as if to gather her senses and come up with some sort of plan or merely regain some of her bearings since she has been struggling fervently and with very little to show for it. Cast aside the few rope burns and the more than usual disheveled hair, and the fact that her skirt is riding up higher thanks to her constant struggling, Rikku would call the last few time alone rather unproductive. What was supposed to be a normal and easy day turned out to be quite the distress for the Al Bhed. Helpless and oblivious to what lies ahead of her, Rikku can only hope that someone… that Yuna can somehow know of her plight... with that knowledge, the road of her freedom would hopefully be hers sooner rather than later.

"Uunnuuh…." She speaks her cousin's name as her body is staring to feel the encumbering feeling of fatigue. " Fnumhfh…. fnhnn … muh…"

With that, Rikku closes her eyes and can feel sleep calling her. As the darkenss starts to engulf her, the Al Bhed starts remembering the day in one coherent set. The what ifs and the could'ves echo heavily in her thoughts as if to hound her as finally she finds herself lost in dream world.

**To Be Continued**...


	2. The Rival I

-Earlier-

Another usual routine for Rikku. As an Al Bhed, Rikku spends a majority of her time scrutinizing the desert for some kind of relic or a piece of history that could benefit Spira. The physical task may not be new to her but the meaning behind it is; not too long ago it was all for her people with whatever she uncovered, now it was for the whole world. Ever since the Eternal Calm, things have changed drastically; in her honest opinion, all for the better since now most of the Al Bhed are contributing and acknowledged by the rest of Spira in a more positive way. The common folk felt good about seeing Al Bhed around instead of seeing a blight of society. The Eternal Calm was indeed a blessing. Well, for the most part it was a blessing but some people lost something for the Eternal Calm; Yuna is a good example of that. Tidus is gone and that was the only outcome she was given. At least of course until that sphere was found and now Yuna has her hopes up; training ever so fervently with the Gullwings to make sure that even without her summoner powers she would be an asset. The High Summoner Yuna is now leaning towards firearms and the Al Bhed means to make something of her rather than following the foot steps of her Father and realigning herself with New Yevon. The irony of the situation is indeed stark. Rikku mused at this for a bit until finally getting her mind back to her duties. It is after all just a norm routine in the desert. Shifting gears on her vehicle Rikku picks up speed and feels the hot wind going through her bare skin as she accelerated. Her unique disheveled hair style dancing with the wind and often gets in the way of her vision. She pays it very little mind since they get out of her face on their own accord thanks to the rhythm of the said wind. That and with her ear piece blaring of Brother's voice, Rikku has very little attention to spare anywhere else since her sibling is rather exasperating.

"Rikku! Report!"

She rolls her eyes and in that process almost finds herself hitting a random object in the sand. Evading it took a bit of effort so responding to Brother took a few more moments than he would prefer so of course he gets more demanding.

"Rikku-!"

"Will you quit yelling at my ear! I heard you the first time!"

"What is the status of your mission?!"

Brother had always been enamored by Yuna's presence. Him learning to speak outside of his Al Bhed tongue just to talk to Yuna more is indeed a testament of his little school boy crush on her. That being said, Rikku finds it annoying that Brother ALWAYS has to put up this command presence that he is in charge which doesn't suit him well. The backlash response from Rikku is of course nothing short of sibling rivalry.

"How about you stop checking up on me every chance you get! I'm surprised you're not too distracted with Yunie!"

"W-what?!" The obvious fluctuation in his voice is more than obvious. "Y-Yuna… Yuna is BUSY training and d-doing her job as a Gullwing! I don't have to check up on her because I know she is more than capable! Unlike you!"

Insults are petty and from the sound of it, it was more or less a desperate rebuttal from Rikku's prior barb. As much as it was petty, it did get to Rikku; she may have a strong front but deep down inside she can't help BUT have that childish side of her. With a growl, Rikku responds accordingly.

"Listen! I'm busy! I'm about to reach the location of the sphere! Why don't you get your lazy butt to the location in a few and we'll see just who is capable!"

Without bothering what would be the response, Rikku pushes the button on her earpiece and continue to her 'vital mission'. Once again for a few more moments Rikku is accompanied by the sound of her vehicle tearing through the sand and the howls of the warm wind of the desert. But that wouldn't last for too long since the image of a distant ruin is finally in sight. Parking her vehicle to the closest structure that Rikku deems as a landmark, she slowly eases herself off the said vehicle, putting it on neutral mode. The engine still hums but a bit more discreet since endeavors such as this leads to some random battle here or there. While Rikku's prowess in battle had been tested more than once, she is well aware that her best suit of combat is stealth. With that in mind, she takes a deep breath and pushes her scarf aside as she strides deeper into the ruins in hopes of finding the sphere that Shinra located.

_"I hope that they get here soon!" _While haste is her main objective, Rikku stays as elusive as she can with her steps; her hands close to her daggers just in case. _"But with Brother being the one to relay messages, I'm sure they're going to be late and I'm going to end up finding things on my own again."_

The solo mission norm routine: reflecting on herself. Rikku often ponders on why she always does the majority of the foot work solo. It's not like she isn't a glutton for company and she is of course far from anti social. In fact, in regards to the avenue of being jovial, she and Paine are a contrast of night and day. The last time she and Paine accepted a mission together, their personalities played as a negative factor so the chances of them going through another mission together would be slim. That and Paine seems to be a off on her own on whatever clandestine operation she seems to involve herself with. Rikku or the other Al Bhed crew of Celsius don't bother themselves digging into Paine's personal life; ignorance is a bliss or perhaps an act of respect on their part? These are the moments that Rikku's less than happy side comes out is when she is alone; she has the time to think about things that are her own thoughts and not someone else's story. Maybe that's why she tends to find herself on solo missions more often? Perhaps to find her own story? Part of her feels that her story is somewhere off on her own and not with her team. With her overshadowed by Yuna's accomplishment, she always has this nagging feeling that she is nothing more than a side character. In mid thought however, something is amiss and Rikku heard some movements not too far away.

_"Crap!" _

Stopping on her tracks, Rikku immediately flips backwards as a barrage of firepower hits the area where she would've been. A few flips later, Rikku manages to regain her footing and takes cover behind a pillar that is able to withstand a few momentary bombarding of what seems to be bullets coming her way. With one hand digging into her pouches, Rikku manages to find the one item she needs for a situation like this.

"Hey what's the big idea?!" Bullets keep spraying her way and Rikku finds herself having to adjust just to make sure none hit her through the temporary protection she has. "Who the hell are you and what the hell do you want?!"

The response is of course more barrages of bullets that again forces Rikku to roll to another pillar as the first one she had used was becoming less and less dependable by the bullet. It hailed firepower for a few but the moment where the bullets stopped raining was the moment that she needed. Hurling the item on her hand, it lets out a sound before letting out a flash explosion with a purpose of rendering her unknown assailants confused for a moment. Long range fighting is indeed what is needed for this and for that Rikku has to adjust accordingly. Jumping out of her cover fire, Rikku focuses her energy and…

"Fire burn and cauldron bubble!" Though her commentary wasn't quite necessary, Rikku does find it to her liking to add some when switching dresspheres and to her, it adds a bit more 'Rikku' into the process. Immediately after her words however, her attire starts to glow magically before her whole stature is engulfed by fire and with the last howl of the celestial flames, Rikku emerges wearing a vibrant attire of a black mage; or at least an aberration of a black mage according to Rikku's imagination. Flicking her hat and gripping her staff tight, Rikku points the said staff towards the general direction of her assailants and attacks. "Play with fire and you're going to get burned!"

Scorching spheres starts to emerge from the end of Rikku's whimsical aqua designed staff and through a simple thought the said spheres flails themselves pass the flash of light that Rikku created mere moments ago and into the general vicinity of her attackers. Not waiting a single moment after her attack, Rikku runs to the next cover and starts to accumulate more energy for another spell. Though the result of her first attack elicited a few grunts and curses and from what she can surmise, a couple was hit and possibly taking them out of the fight.

"That little brat!"

"Get her! Get her!"

Though she had already concocted in her mind that she would be dealing with humanoid like assailants and not just some random monster, Rikku wasn't fully expecting to run across Al Bhed. Them talking through her native language gave it away and with this Rikku grips her staff tightly.

"You're attacking the wrong person geniuses! Quit firing at me and we can say that the first part was just a dumb mistake on your part!" She yells in Al Bhed hoping that it would at least negate further attacks however what answered her are rebuttal of angry words overshadowed by another wave of firing. Clicking her tongue Rikku prepares for her next attack; her staff glowing exuberantly with mana and more than ready to release. "I hate this! I hate this! I hate this! I HATE THIS! ZZZAAAPPPPPP!"

The flash of light from her gadget had already dispersed but the said flash is replaced when Rikku casts a lightning spell to crash down on her enemies. The affect was immediate and the firing became less erratic on her enemies' part as they are bombarded with a few streaks of thunder from the sky. Though it did have a double edge affect as Rikku is still terrified of the sound and the momentary advantage she could've had was decreased by her astraphobia.

_"Get over it! Get over it!" _She keeps repeating to herself as she once again she moves to a new location. Her main objective is to try and get as close as she can so the battle would be to her liking. _"Ah! Damn it!" _

To her dismay, her enemies also had their own tactics as she finds herself being blocked by three heavily armed Al Bhed who are wasting no time firing at her. Stepping to the side and using some minor fire spells to deter some of the bullets, Rikku is more than aware that getting closer would be a strenuous task with her magic attire so dodging and jumping downwards so that she would be on all fours, Rikku pushes forward letting the celestial light shift her attire once again. She lets out a not so intimidating roar as she charges forward like an anima; the Black mage was no more and she is now in her Berserker form. The aim of her opponents would be sound but her speed in this form is preventing them from hitting her. Running in a zig zag pattern and using the ruins of what was once walls, Rikku closes the distance and using her claws, she slashes through the nearest one, penetrating through armor and caused a damaging wound that would take the Al Bhed out of the fight.

"They wanted her alive?!"

Rikku manages to hear those words as she rolls like a ball to her next target. Again her speed is undeniable and hitting her was impossible since she got the range she needed, striking from the ground with an uppercut that launches her into the air with the momentum. The contact was her giant fist to the jaw that also sends this next gunner out of the fight. Her landing wasn't as easy since she had to dodge more bullets but as soon as her feet touched the ground her last attacker received a quick kick to the groin and again Rikku takes advantage of her claws, hacking at armor and disarming the opponent before taking him out of the fight as well.

"She's over there!"

"Get yourselves together and don't let her take any more of us!"

"She's just one freaking girl!"

Their words more than insinuate that there was more to this than just some random encounter. In fact, the words of one of the Al Bhed of her 'wanted alive' accentuates the idea that it is NOT a random encounter that there was more to this. If the sphere was their goal it could've been theirs with all their number and the distraction they are giving her however there seems to be no inkling of interest for the sphere. With very little time to really contemplate about it, Rikku starts to make her way towards what seems to be the main group. The fire and the thunder spell distorted their organization and they are still gathering themselves so only a few really have their guns ready. Running as fast as she can, Rikku's body is once again engulfed in the scintillating dressphere shift and with her red scarf blowing behind her, Rikku's original attire appears once again.

"Here! Eat this!"

Rikku launches grenades from her pouches that created miniature explosions that did the job on those that did get hit and for those that didn't, it served as a distraction that deterred them from firing at the sight of her. Bridging the gap and finally getting herself in range, Rikku's signature daggers come out of their sheathes. The first Al Bhed that falls victim to her daggers tried his hand at close range shooting, which Rikku evades and allows her to be in close for a quick slash on his gun arm forcing him to let go, and with him too busy with the pain of the cut, Rikku plunges her other dagger into the side of his neck where his armor does not protect him, rendering a quick death to the situation. Rikku looks on to see that she had taken out a few of them as it is and the remaining four are taking out close range weapons to meet the needs and rushes towards her in full number. Without so much of a hesitation, Rikku charges forward as if to meet her attackers head on, but of course she leans on the tactic of her smaller and more agile frame to her advantage. Blades cutting low, dodging a few attacks and plunging her blades on vital areas takes out one of them. The bigger Al Bhed tries his hand at grabbing her but she moves too fast and uses his own stature as a means to get herself on a better position to attack. As if crouching on his broad shoulders, Rikku places both her daggers on his throat, pushes off with her legs and the result of the blade cutting through his trachea were immediate and he falls bloody and lifeless.

"Don't le-!"

The moment she lands, Rikku hurls her dagger, stabbing the one who seems to be giving orders right on the chest before proceeding to retaliate to the another attacker, evading his baton from hitting her and quickly kicking him on the side of the knee. The sound of a crack and his scream of pain echoes, but Rikku ends his suffering by stabbing him on the back of the neck. The red blade would have remained in if it wasn't for her using her leg to kick him off. Regaining full grasp of her dagger, she focuses her attention on the one who is trying to undo her other dagger out of his chest but failing miserably. With blood profusely pouring out of his wound, he stumbles to his knee as Rikku approaches him with haste. Grabbing the handle of the dagger penetrating her last opponent, Rikku spins, pulling it out in a harsh manner before bringing her other weapon through the wounded Al Bhed and with the same arc her other dagger came through as well successfully cutting him twice and most likely to his death. Soon the sound of his body dropping as well as the painful groans of those who didn't die from her earlier spells are the only sound that accompanied her. At least so she thought.

"Okay," She says calmly as she pushes her scarf out of the way. "I'm going to be nice and let a couple of you live, only if you tell me what the heck is going on here."

She was preparing to sardonically twirl her daggers on her hands before sheathing them but one of the burnt Al Bhed on the ground started chuckling despite his pain. Of course she would easily just surmise that this was just a wounded animal's last line of offense. A defeated laughter to try and get to her nerves tactic, more or less. But the sound of guns being loaded and foot steps tells her that this man is laughing for a reason so with that she prepares for another skirmish. Turning her attention to where the sound seemed more prominent, Rikku's eyes widen with the sight. More Al Bhed and armed like the ones she has just taken down. In front of her… to her right… to her left… behind her …. Their distance serves far too well to their advantage and there seems to be very little to no cover for her to use as solace. That and with them being on every angle, Rikku's earlier tactic wouldn't work.

"Don't move!" One of them called out. "Taking you alive doesn't mean that you don't have to be in pain!"

The sound of gun being locked for firing doesn't bode well with Rikku, especially when she is the target of the dozen guns being aimed. Again a vocal insinuation that there is something more to this than just some random attack… it's not turning out to be a normal routine after all.

**(The rest of the story can be found on my _ronin-gh0st_ deviant art account)**


	3. The Rival II

The heat of Bikanel Desert has always been excruciating. The harsh winds accentuating the discomfort rather than give solace. The sandstorms often cause vehicles to malfunction from the debris of sand flying about or perhaps it can literally knock a person off her feet with its force. If one find herself wandering in Bikanel's seemingly endless land, one would find that danger of getting lost and dying in the middle of a sandstorm is a real possibility just as well as finding herself as a main course for a hungry Zu. All of these morbid fate flashes through Rikku's mind as she keeps her stance firm, knees bent slightly and her boots digging into the sand. Arms poised in a ninety degree angle as both hands gripping the hilt of her daggers vehemently. While the wind is indeed hot and mildly strong, Rikku can take in some cool air thanks to the sweat all over her body; the slight shine from the said perspiration is obvious from the sun's light. Her spiral eyes staying vigilant of her surroundings, or better yet, the Al Bhed soldiers who surrounds her. Every once in a while the wind would cause her disheveled hairstyle to get in her vision, but she blows them out of the way. She is going to need EVERY detail she can take in if she is indeed to get out of this. But even she has to be blunt to herself, it's NOT looking like things are going her way.

"You could tell me who the hell you are you know," She tries to vocalize her demands sternly but abstains from truly letting out her full anger just yet. They know she has no problem taking lives and yet they haven't taken hers. Rikku is trying her best to make sure it stays that way for now. "If not, I could tell you who I am and by now you'll realize that this is a big mistake."

"You are Cid's little girl, and you are coming with us."

A piercing voice among the crowd and the statement said punctured her trump card for this fight. Since they never lowered the aim of their gun and the fact that they know that she is the daughter of Al Bhed's most prominent figure would only mean that they don't care much for the ramifications of kidnapping her. She feels something heavy drop down on her stomach as her scarf gets carried by the next wave of hot wind.

"Like hell I am! You guys do realize that this is probably one of the stupidest thing to do! Cid is-!"

"Am I about to hear this right, Rikku?" The same piercing voice, this time, it sounds a bit more familiar. Rikku turns her attention towards the origin of the said voice. "Are you actually going to speak highly of your father? I thought he was 'no good' and 'useless'?"

Her eyes widening at the revelation of why the voice was so familiar. The voice belonged to none other than Gippal himself. Gippal, one of Rikku's acquaintance for a long time now, having met him through her father's connections. Basically as far as Rikku knows, her father and Gippal's are good friends and even better business partners. This turn of events takes Rikku by full astonishment.

"Gippal?!"

"Yup, that's me little one."

In this heated situation, Rikku can't help but roll her eyes as he still hasn't swayed himself away from his usual tone and mannerism when being around her.

"The hell are you doing?! And why the hell are your guys' pointing guns at me after nearly killing me?!" Her eyes wander towards Gippal's hand as he himself is brandishing a handgun. She tightens her grip on her daggers as he gets closer. "Gippal!"

"You've gotten better you know. I'm pretty impressed."

"I'm not interested in amusing you."

"That's funny because I wasn't amused one bit with you killing some of my guys you know."

"They attacked me first!"

"They were warning you," Rikku's eyes never allowed herself to leave Gippal's gun arm. When he lifts it up to point the said gun at her, a myriad of emotions starts to boil in her but of course the more evident one now is her anger. "Just like I'm warning you right now to put your weapons down and give up."

"You're out of your mind!"

Against her own train of thought, Rikku's stance deepens and the obvious need to attack is acknowledged by Gippal's men as the sound of their guns being prepared echoes. Rikku stops instantaneously with any further movement and considered the situation. Her spiral green eyes analyzing the numbers overweighing her and the possibility of making things worse if she doesn't play it smart now. As she finishes her clockwork observation, her eyes revert back to Gippal whose one eye that isn't covered by the eye patch that he wears remains attentive as well as the posture of his hand that points the gun towards her. He himself is too far for her to try and use him to her advantage, that and Gippal isn't entirely a full push over. For as good as Rikku is, Gippal can match that and of course the obvious number he has to command. With a click of her tongue, Rikku regretfully steps out of her fighting stance and puts herself in a bit more of a neutral position.

"Your weapons?"

Rikku can't help but glare at Gippal as his handgun acts as his pointing finger that is now directed towards her daggers. While still glaring at him, Rikku twirls her daggers in her hands and stabs them on the ground letting the majority of the blade be buried by the sand next to her feet. Rikku then puts her hands up as a sign of surrender despite her eyes continues to show defiance.

"Good. Now take five steps back and turn around. Keep your hands where I can see them."

"Don't tell me you're going to frisk me."

"You're outfit is tempting me to."

Though his facial expression still remains stern, the tone he used and the slight grin plastered on his lips insinuates things that Rikku can't help but grit her teeth in irritation. In her mind, she can't help but want to hit herself for letting Gippal get… somewhere with her. As she complies and takes her five steps, at least she can take solace that if he DOES put his hands all over to search her that they didn't go 'all the way' back then.

"Turn around."

"I hate you."

"I can live with that."

With a few more moments of her ever so burning glare, Rikku decides to comply and turn her back on Gippal. It was at this moment that a few thoughts passes through her mind about perhaps waiting until he gets in hand range to perhaps try something, however getting another angle of just how outnumbered she is and how many guns are pointed at her, it completely deters all of her thought process of attempting escape. Again it's back to biding her time and perhaps this could actually be alleviated once her 'no good father' is in the picture.

"You try something, and they have strict orders to shoot you in the leg." Then there's that threat that really takes away anymore incentives to try something.

"This is stupid, Gippal!" Though the only response she received is Gippal now upon her and his hands grabbing both her arms and forcing them behind her in a criss-crossed manner. Looking over her shoulder and pass her disheveled hair, Rikku managed to get a glimpse of the rope that Gippal is now using on her wrists. "Hey!"

Rikku flinches as Gippal cinches the rope digging painfully despite the white sleeves she is wearing. Every second, Rikku could feel the freedom of her hand slip form her grasp; every moment she can feel both her hands being glued to each other within Gippal's rope work. Biting her lip throughout the whole ordeal, eventually she feels the last pull which signifies perhaps that her wrist binds are done, and with Gippal no longer upon her hands like he was, it's more than obvious that he is done. Instinctively, her fingers tries to feel where the knots would be but unfortunately nothing is within reach and Rikku finds herself reaching out for emptiness. Of course the next test is to lightly twist against them, seeing if there are any loose areas that she work on if she can't find a knot to pick but to her dismay, the first attempt does nothing to show some sort of give. If she is to get out it would be through hard work and unsupervised time.

"If you don't talk too much, I won't gag you."

Though the harsh pull to turn her to face him made her squeal from surprise. Once again they are face to face; her eyes staring at his patch and his eye with confusion at first before it becomes that angry burning glare again. It fumes with more rage as his hands starts to search through the pouches of her belt, grabbing the remaining useful items that she has as well as her garment grid that holds the four dresspheres she has with her. She can't fully hide from her facial expression just how worried she is that all of her tools are being taken from her and placed in a bag that is hanging on his belt. Of course the frisking part hasn't even started.

"Let me guess."

"You got it, sweetie."

Rikku can feel her teeth grinding from pure anger as his face is showing some jubilance from what he is about to do. Whether it's actually perverted or the fact that he is being his usual self and is trying his best to get under her skin is unknown to her, right now she has bigger things to worry about.

"Don't enjoy yourself too much, you asshole."

"And try not to make too much noise."

Her first instinct is indeed to make a whole hell of a lot of noise. Screaming from the top of her lungs with that kind of barb does sound fitting however doing so would merely just convey that Gippal even has the upper hand in the wits argument so she abstains from yelling and instead merely gives him the 'deadly' glare. As a matter of fact that's all she has been doing but the moment his hands finds their way to her hips and to the outline of her mini skirt, Rikku can't help but let out a slight disgruntled sound with a slight need to flinch away.

"Don't." Gippal grips her hips tightly as his one eye becoming a bit more stern with her. "You make any movements that one of them thinks is a danger to me, and you'll get shot." Rikku hangs on to his words while her bound hands clenches in fists. "And some of them don't have the best accuracy."

"Maybe I'll get lucky and they'll end up shooting your other eye."

The comment elicited a chuckle from Gippal as his hands starts to frisk rather aggressively pass her skirt and now touching her bare part of her thighs. Aggressive, firm, and thorough, Rikku can't help but tense up as his hands go lower, grazing methodically about her legs as if her bare skin can hide something under. With Spira the way they are now, that wouldn't be a far fetched idea, but part of her feels that he is doing this from pure enjoyment. A few firm pats on her boots and he hovers back slowly to a standing position, his hands still grazing her every curve, her every form, and when part of his fingers hooked on her mini skirt and slightly raised it up, Rikku lets out a slight gasp as she feels the cool air hit part of her yellow lingerie.

"You would enjoy that wouldn't you?" The question widens Rikku's eyes and from her embarrassed looking away posture, she finds her eyes dart back at Gippal in a VERY angry glare.

"You prick! You think I'm enjoying this?!"

"I mean them shooting me in the eye, pervert."

Rikku can feel the wrinkle in her gloves as her fists clench even tighter in their bound position. A blatant display of Gippal's rather sardonic and sarcastic personality at its best and it's more than apparent that it's working. Without trying to satisfy that statement any further, Rikku tries her best to get her skirt to a somewhat conservative position. Gippal continues his task, applying the same 'gentle' patting on her arms, ruffling up the white sleeves a bit before working on her upper body, skimming her flesh and nearly untying the knot on Rikku's yellow bra.

"D-Don't-!"

"Relax," Despite the nonchalant reply, Rikku noticed how quickly he brought his hand back. "This is all too professional."

For a moment Rikku raised a brow out of curiosity, but that was just a momentary curiosity as it quickly faded away with Gippal continuing his frisking and his hand finding its way to the earpiece. Rikku's flinching away didn't deter him from grabbing it out of her ear. He himself raise his brow before snapping his finger to summon one of his soldiers to his side.

"Make sure there isn't any transmitter here that will notify the little princess' allies about her location. And take her little goodies too while you are at it."

Diligently taking Rikku's items and her ear piece, the soldier gives Gippal a slight nod before walking off, leaving Rikku in Gippal's care once again.

"Snooping into my private conversations too?"

"Well, that's what I've been doing the whole time. I mean, who else insinuated to your whiz kid that there's a sphere in the oasis?"

"WHAT?! You.. YOU!"

"No need to get too excited, it was actually kind of easy. Oh, that gag is getting pretty close to your mouth by the way."

Immediately after those words, Rikku bites her lower lip and made an attempt to back away from Gippal seeing how her hands are already robbed of freedom, having her speech taken away wasn't exactly something that she would need at the moment to help her situation. Gippal saw this as compliance despite his grip on her bound arms tightening. A slight smirk emerged from his lip and he continues the rest of his frisking. Of course the majority of useful things had already been confiscated so there was nothing else to find. With the firm grip on her left bicep still intact, Gippal fetches her daggers off the ground and happily sheathes them on his belt. Rikku had considered to try something while he was picking up her prized signature weapons, but there are still too many guns pointed at her and the slight limited movement of her hands reminds her that she is in a MUCH greater disadvantage now. With a sigh to herself, Rikku once again tells herself that biding her time is her only option. Keeping a close eye on the soldier who has her items and making sure Gippal doesn't leave her sight is probably the main concern she has right now.

"Well, we'd better get out of here before your Gullwings pal get here." Rikku gives a slight whine as Gippal ushers her to move with the pincer grip on her arm further ruffling the white arm sleeves. In the process of the tug, Rikku instinctively tries to pull her hands free from their bonds but of course receives no sort of solace. "Wouldn't want them to spoil our little ride together do we, Rikku?"

Of course getting tugged rather abruptly that forces her to stumble to Gippal's direction, it also gives her another concern to think about: where are they taking her and why? Better yet, how will she get out of this situation soon enough before it's too late? Tugging on her binds as Gippal escorts her to his vehicle, Rikku can't help but wonder if part of her freedom now depends on her inept brother of hers and his lack of ability to convey messages properly…

**To Be Continued ...**


	4. The Rival III

Yuna remembers hitting every single target the last few training sessions. She had started to become a bit more of a bullseye kind of girl with her 'Tiny Bee'. But that confidence quickly dissipated with this next training sequence. Targets are not only moving rather erratically, but this time around there are a bit more distraction thrown at her and the point of the sessions is to not hit any of the 'distractions' for they represent an innocent bystander of some sort. The trigger happy technique wouldn't bode so well if she hits one of the forbidden targets; that and in a real life situation she can't afford to have an innocent getting hurt on her conscience. She is after all the High Summoner that brought upon the Eternal Calm; hurting innocent people isn't her style.

"Good Yuna! Two more to go!"

Shinra is in charge of her indoor training by the use of virtual reality simulations. He cheers on rather confidently despite Yuna noticing that time isn't as promising as the last few days. With a quick flick on her gun's switch, Yuna aims at a certain angle, hoping to get the all the intended target with this trick.

_"Slow. Focus. Aim." _The targets are still swaying in a non-coherent pattern. Their speed is agitating to the eye. Their movements always seems to steer close to the forbidden targets and the timer isn't getting any better. With that, Yuna's patience slightly loses its wage and she pulls the trigger hoping to get the result she had pictured. "Oh no!"

Getting trigger happy was indeed effective in thought, but for hitting the last targets, Yuna sacrificed one of the 'bystanders' and in a time that isn't exactly to her liking. With that said, the training sequence ended and once again the training room shifts back to the rather mundane and storage room that is no longer decorated by the virtual simulation.

"Considering the situation, you didn't do too bad, Yuna."

The next voice wasn't Shinra but their other crew member, Buddy. Despite his rather cheerful tone to the training sequence, Yuna still feels that she failed, that said feeling is apparent through her body language as she puts her guns on their holsters. Taking a deep breath, Yuna nods and walks towards them; her boots echoing with every step and acting like another melodrama to her 'defeated' mindset.

"I should've been able to save all of them." Predictable words which got Shinra and Buddy to stare at each other for a brief moment. "I need to practice more."

"Being a Gunner is new to you, Yuna. Don't be so hard on yourself."

"Buddy's right. Besides, you won't really get the full result of your training until you and Rikku go out into the field and take down some fiends."

"As good as Rikku is with her blades, she isn't a bad shot," Buddy chimes in. "But you won't see her using pistols. She usually handles rifles like a typical Al Bhed."

Still concentrated on her failed endeavor, Yuna looks down for a few moments and soaks in the two Al Bheds' words of wisdom and encouragement. Being cheerful as of late isn't her best skill set since Tidus remains prominent in her mind; sacrificing the one person she loves for the sake of the world… With that, her thoughts immediately shoot to the lack of Rikku's jovial attitude.

"Where has Rikku been?" While the two Al Bhed started to tangent of to talk of fire arms while Yuna got lost in her thought, her straight forward question got their attention back to her real quickly.

"The Sphere I located is probably keeping her busy."

"When was the last time she checked in?"

"We should ask Brother."

"Last I checked I only heard snoring."

Both Buddy and Yuna give the same appalled expression as they stare at each other before reverting their glance back at Shinra.

"He's SLEEPING while piloting the Celsius?!"

"Oh don't worry! I installed an auto pilot sequence."

"Oh good. Brother has more time to harass us about doing our job since he doesn't have to do the one thing that he HAS to do."

Still being fairly new to the team, Yuna has very little idea of who does what. From what she has surmised, Brother is the main pilot and he usually stays inside the ship. Rikku and Paine are usually on the field, which is why Rikku isn't training with her right now. Though the time between when she last contacted her has been longer than what she would like. Seeing her worry herself, Shinra immediately turns on the training simulator.

"I'm sure Rikku will check in as soon as she finds something, in the mean time, let's get you some better scores so you can actually go out there with her."

"Oh… um… yeah."

A slight smirk comes out of Shinra; the only part of his face is seen through his attire is his lips so Yuna can always catch his expression. She herself nods and slightly smiles as she takes out her Tiny Bees. With that, Buddy steps out of the training vicinity as the virtual targets starts to emerge from the simulation. As Yuna prepares herself for another round, she can't help but wonder how her cousin is doing at the moment. While she knows that Rikku is more than capable of handling herself, Yuna can't help but have this 'feeling' inside of her that tells her that something is amiss. That thought is slightly pushed back as the virtual targets starts to dance in front of her to state that the training has officially begun.

For almost the twentieth time in the duration she has spent riding with Gippal, Rikku's hair falls on her face again as they dance rather exuberantly with the hot wind blowing on her face. While at most times she merely depends on the said wind to get it out of her face but at the times it becomes too out of control, which happens too often with the way she has her hair styled, she uses her hands to get them out of the way. On instinct she tries to reach out brush her hair out of the way, however she is always reminded that her hands tied tightly behind her. She squirms her hands for a moment, fingers naturally wriggling, trying to find some sort of comfort in their forced position behind her back. Then of course the awkward feeling that her hands are grazing Gippal somewhere as he sits behind her while maneuvering the desert mobile. Stuck in between his arms and forced to lean on him as the two of them sit on the vehicle, Rikku wants nothing more than to get out of the ropes that are holding her hands hostage. Though that would be the first problem, the next is finding a way to get her ankles unstrapped from both sides of the machine. Basically, she is forced to sit on it for more than one reason.

"Watch your hand there little girl!" Gippal yells as loud as he can through the blaring wind. "You don't stop squirming, and you might graze an area that I don't think you should be touching at your age!"

Gippal's voice didn't have a hard time carrying over since his mouth is practically hover over Rikku's left ear as he looks over her shorter stature while driving. Again, the position she is in put in draws up more than enough awkward and agitating situations. Though Rikku can more than capsulize that it is on Gippal's doing that these said situations occur.

"Where the hell are you taking me?!"

"I'm surprised you haven't asked 'are we there yet' the whole entire time!"

As close range as they are, Rikku uses her elbows to nudge at Gippal, the sharp angle of her bones still having the proper affect despite the awkwardness of the action and the position of her arms. Gippal lets out a grunt and slightly swerves from the shock of the small action.

"You do know the rule about NOT messing with the driver, right?" As Gippal says that, one of his soldiers who are also on their own sand mobile speeds up so that he would be riding side by side with them. The obvious ploy of intimidation definitely prominent. "That and all that squirming around with your hands is making me think that you want to get away from our little road trip! That's not what you're trying to do, is it?"

With a growl, Rikku looks over her shoulder so that she would be able to get a glare at Gippal's eye.

"Where the hell are you taking me?" Her eyes still burning with anger.

"Shame you have a bad sense of direction when it comes to your own peoples' land," A few of Gippal's soldiers passes them while a couple still remain relatively close. "Otherwise you would be able to tell where I'm taking you for our second date. Maybe you've spent too much time with non Al Bhed people?"

The words that came out of his mouth did nothing to abate her anger or her frustration at this situation. Taking a deep breath, she looks forward, somewhat giving in at her situation for the moment. As it is there really isn't much for her to do to help her situation. As for right now, she is along for the ride. And the ride on its own remained as uneventful as it could be as contact between the two remained sparse. Once in a while Gippal would have a smart aleck comment or some kind of off the wall 'ice breaker' questions that Rikku ignored the whole time. Her attention still fixated on the route and she tried her best not to work on her binds since that would most likely get Gippal to retie them tighter. If she is to get herself out of this mess, she would need EVERY inch of progress intact and so far, she has gained very little but what she was hoping is that all her effort would count for something.

"Home sweet home," Eventually the vision of what seems to be an Al Bhed campsite caught her eyes along with Gippal's words. "Well, it will be your sweet home for a bit until we can get things situated."

Rikku tilts her head as it to catch a glance or perhaps to let Gippal know her displeasure through her glare. His face however is a bit stoic and she could only wonder what does 'situated' really means. As the destination gets closer and closer, Rikku starts to become more attentive of her surroundings and perhaps pick and choose choices on her escape. The entrance itself is heavily guarded for a campsite with a wall that is obviously made within a short amount of time. Barricaded and defensive Machinas installed, Rikku can also point out more than enough heavily armed Al Bheds patrolling on top of the walls. There are a two towers that could very well have snipers and/or watchmen, and Rikku hasn't even taken into consideration that as Gippal's vehicle slows down, two well built Al Bhed stands guards at the door with firearms ready. Rikku makes no eye contact with them as Gippal merely gives a head gesture towards her. Seems that they have been expecting her arrival and in this position, so with that, they stand back and allowed Gippal's vehicle in. Rikku can feel her heart beat faster as her fate seems to be getting closer to unveiling. Whatever plans are set for her, it is obvious that the kidnapping is going to get attention so whoever Gippal works for is prepared. Judging from the small army occupying this campsite, Rikku can feel that this faction of Al Bhed is among the ones that her father Cid does not have the highest respect for and vice versa. Though she always thought Gippal and his father had a good rapport with her father; she thought wrong apparently.

"Alright little one," The vehicle finally stops once they are deeper into the campsite. The tent they stopped in front of seems to have guards outside which most likely means this will be her place of captivity. "Let's see if we can get you comfortable."

The idea of comfortable to Gippal in regards to Rikku's predicament doesn't spell solace. In fact from what she can gather, she will be in far more discomfort than she would like. As Gippal eases himself off the vehicle, Rikku finally gets the breathing space that she has been longing, however that doesn't last long as he is upon her again, now crouching down, working on the straps on her ankles that are keeping her pretty secured on the vehicle. As soon as it loosens, she feels the wrinkles on her blue and white boots ease off and they start to take their usual 'lax' form. Walking over to her other leg, Gippal does the exact same thing and again Rikku can feel the movement of her legs unhindered. The whole time he was unstrapping her legs, Rikku kept her eyes on her daggers still sheathed on his belt. Though she has lost sight of the one who has her items and garment grid, gaining her daggers back would prove a bit more promising than being bare handed. Though the idea of being in an almost fortress campsite filled with heavily armed men, the fact that she is outnumbered and practically in the open, and the fact that her hands are still tautly tied behind her, Rikku could hold off on impulsive 'show them what you got' tactic. Besides, if she wanted to be that reckless, earlier would've been a bit more prudent when she had ALL of her belongings. As of right now, she is as Gippal has her: a somewhat compliant captive.

Gippal's grip on her arm is now reaffirmed which gets Rikku to ease off the vehicle in a somewhat rough manner. Though he could be a bit more aggressive so she is thankful he gives her enough time to catch her steps and her balance since it is a bit odd getting off such a mobile without the usual mobility of her hands. Leading her to the obvious holding tent, Rikku again scans every bit of detail as much as she can trying to find something that she could perhaps use to her advantage; again not gaining any new knowledge that she didn't observe from earlier on. Passing the two guards and into the tent, Rikku is now ushered, stumbling a bit forward while Gippal closes the tent behind them. It is at that moment that Rikku is able to observe what would most likely be her 'place' of rest for however long she will be detained; or at least how long they can detain her until she escapes. Naturally, it is a tent of mundane features with no real furniture to keep one comfortable or anything that could aid her to loosen her bonds.

"You still haven't told me what the hell you want from me." Rikku turns around finally breaking the more than awkward silence. The defiant glare burning right through Gippal.

"I'm just the delivery guy, Rikku," Grabbing her by her arm again, Gippal pulls her towards the other side of the tent away from the entrance. Of course the rather abrupt manner he did elicited a squeal from Rikku and a bit of an instinctive fight. "Not my place to say what's going on. Nor do I want to."

There was a slight pause in movement after Gippal's last statement that evokes a raised brow on Rikku's expression. A bit curious as to why there was a slight change in Gippal's gesture and his expression altogether.

"Gi- HEY!"

Though that curiosity fades away real quickly and reverts back to pure anger when Gippal forces her to sit on her butt rather painfully. Finding her back leaning on the frame of the tent, Rikku can then feel Gippal grabbing her ankles and forcing them together and before long, the same rope that keeps her hands hostage are being looped around her ankles. Again his rope work in play as he wraps them around the form of her boots, constantly pulling to make sure the said rope held tight. Rikku lets out grunts of discomfort through the process as she can feel the leather of her footwear starts to distort from the constriction. With one final pull and an unreachable knot, Rikku's legs are securely tied together. A small movement on Rikku's part causes the rope to further wrinkle the material of her boots which of course is a sign that her bondage will not be an easy thing to undo with the discomfort it already provides; Both her hands and feet alike.

"You're not going to be loud are you?"

Having her attention focused on her new binds for the past few moments, Rikku was a bit oblivious that Gippal had pulled out a black cloth in his hand and tied a knot in the middle. Now that she notices it, she cringes and of course her glare burns even further through him.

"You're not putting that in my mouth." Rikku clench her lips together, trying her best to seal them shut, trying her best to delay the inevitable.

"Who am I kidding, you're going to be loud," Gippal leans closer getting ready to gag Rikku. Her response is nothing short of anger as she shrivels away as best as she can given the circumstance of her position. "Come on, Rikku. You can make this easier on yourself you know. At least I'm not stuffing anything in your mouth or tie you up to a more fun position."

Rikku's little defiance stops almost instantaneously with those words. Though being gagged isn't exactly something Rikku wanted to happen, the thought of things could be worse is far more of a incriminating picture so with a heavy sigh between her sealed lips, Rikku becomes stark still as she opens her mouth, making things easy for Gippal to apply the gag; Of course her glare remaining as vehement as possible.

"Of course this won't mute you completely since we _both_ know how loud you can be," Placing the knot between her teeth, Gippal then proceeds to tie the gag behind her head, pushing her downwards a bit. The ruffling of her disheveled braided hair echoing in the tense air. "But I'm sure this will make it a bit difficult for you to be totally as mouthy as you usually are."

"Ffuhnu ufh mnuhg!"

The cloth digs into the corners of her mouth rather aggravatingly as Gippal finishes the last pull for the knot with some of her hair being trapped with the black cloth. And while it doesn't silence her completely, it does serve to be as annoying as Gippal had stated so her screaming and letting out her complaints won't be as easy as she would like. Pushing her head back, of course he is met with Rikku's unhappy expression; her spiral green eyes almost flickering with rage as he still keeps the same sardonic look on his face.

"Look, behave and this might not be as bad as it seems. Cause some problems, and well, I can't say that I can be of any use to you."

Petting her head like she was some pet further ignites her rage and of course even her flinching away does nothing to deter him from doing the degrading gesture. Biting down on the knot between her lips, Rikku narrows her eyes even further and decides to let out some nonsense through her gag.

"Uh funuuuh Gmpfpfuhn! Whnn Uh gnf uuf uf fhmf fmfuuhfmun M'm gumng fu muhgn fuuhn fuuhf ufh'nn fhn unuuuhmng FWU nunpfuhffhnf! Ufh MNUG ufh uun'f gnf uhuuhu umfh fhmf!"

Shrugging his shoulders, Gippal stands up and makes his exit, opening the tent and closing it quickly cutting off the bright light from outside rather abruptly. Alone, bound, and gagged, Rikku's temper starts to shuffle through the events of the day that led her to this moment and in frustration, Rikku starts to struggle wildly against her binds. Pulling, twisting her wrists, kicking her bound legs, shaking her head in every known direction, and fruitlessly and frivolously struggling. It took a few moments before the depletion of her energy catches up to her. With that, Rikku lets out a sigh through her knotted cleave gag and leans her back on the tent wall. Chest heaving as she takes in every air that she can, Rikku knows that she has to do this tactfully if she is to get out. Bringing her knees closer to get a bit more of a stable posture that was lost through her struggling, Rikku can't help but feel one of her foot somewhat budging from the confines of her boot. Not much but as she wiggles her toes, Rikku couldn't help but wonder. Perhaps …

**_To Be Continued…._**


	5. The Rival IV

Yuna remembers hitting every single target the last few training sessions. She had started to become a bit more of a bullseye kind of girl with her 'Tiny Bee'. But that confidence quickly dissipated with this next training sequence. Targets are not only moving rather erratically, but this time around there are a bit more distraction thrown at her and the point of the sessions is to not hit any of the 'distractions' for they represent an innocent bystander of some sort. The trigger happy technique wouldn't bode so well if she hits one of the forbidden targets; that and in a real life situation she can't afford to have an innocent getting hurt on her conscience. She is after all the High Summoner that brought upon the Eternal Calm; hurting innocent people isn't her style.

"Good Yuna! Two more to go!"

Shinra is in charge of her indoor training by the use of virtual reality simulations. He cheers on rather confidently despite Yuna noticing that time isn't as promising as the last few days. With a quick flick on her gun's switch, Yuna aims at a certain angle, hoping to get the all the intended target with this trick.

_"Slow. Focus. Aim." _The targets are still swaying in a non-coherent pattern. Their speed is agitating to the eye. Their movements always seems to steer close to the forbidden targets and the timer isn't getting any better. With that, Yuna's patience slightly loses its wage and she pulls the trigger hoping to get the result she had pictured. "Oh no!"

Getting trigger happy was indeed effective in thought, but for hitting the last targets, Yuna sacrificed one of the 'bystanders' and in a time that isn't exactly to her liking. With that said, the training sequence ended and once again the training room shifts back to the rather mundane and storage room that is no longer decorated by the virtual simulation.

"Considering the situation, you didn't do too bad, Yuna."

The next voice wasn't Shinra but their other crew member, Buddy. Despite his rather cheerful tone to the training sequence, Yuna still feels that she failed, that said feeling is apparent through her body language as she puts her guns on their holsters. Taking a deep breath, Yuna nods and walks towards them; her boots echoing with every step and acting like another melodrama to her 'defeated' mindset.

"I should've been able to save all of them." Predictable words which got Shinra and Buddy to stare at each other for a brief moment. "I need to practice more."

"Being a Gunner is new to you, Yuna. Don't be so hard on yourself."

"Buddy's right. Besides, you won't really get the full result of your training until you and Rikku go out into the field and take down some fiends."

"As good as Rikku is with her blades, she isn't a bad shot," Buddy chimes in. "But you won't see her using pistols. She usually handles rifles like a typical Al Bhed."

Still concentrated on her failed endeavor, Yuna looks down for a few moments and soaks in the two Al Bheds' words of wisdom and encouragement. Being cheerful as of late isn't her best skill set since Tidus remains prominent in her mind; sacrificing the one person she loves for the sake of the world… With that, her thoughts immediately shoot to the lack of Rikku's jovial attitude.

"Where has Rikku been?" While the two Al Bhed started to tangent of to talk of fire arms while Yuna got lost in her thought, her straight forward question got their attention back to her real quickly.

"The Sphere I located is probably keeping her busy."

"When was the last time she checked in?"

"We should ask Brother."

"Last I checked I only heard snoring."

Both Buddy and Yuna give the same appalled expression as they stare at each other before reverting their glance back at Shinra.

"He's SLEEPING while piloting the Celsius?!"

"Oh don't worry! I installed an auto pilot sequence."

"Oh good. Brother has more time to harass us about doing our job since he doesn't have to do the one thing that he HAS to do."

Still being fairly new to the team, Yuna has very little idea of who does what. From what she has surmised, Brother is the main pilot and he usually stays inside the ship. Rikku and Paine are usually on the field, which is why Rikku isn't training with her right now. Though the time between when she last contacted her has been longer than what she would like. Seeing her worry herself, Shinra immediately turns on the training simulator.

"I'm sure Rikku will check in as soon as she finds something, in the mean time, let's get you some better scores so you can actually go out there with her."

"Oh… um… yeah."

A slight smirk comes out of Shinra; the only part of his face is seen through his attire is his lips so Yuna can always catch his expression. She herself nods and slightly smiles as she takes out her Tiny Bees. With that, Buddy steps out of the training vicinity as the virtual targets starts to emerge from the simulation. As Yuna prepares herself for another round, she can't help but wonder how her cousin is doing at the moment. While she knows that Rikku is more than capable of handling herself, Yuna can't help but have this 'feeling' inside of her that tells her that something is amiss. That thought is slightly pushed back as the virtual targets starts to dance in front of her to state that the training has officially begun.

For almost the twentieth time in the duration she has spent riding with Gippal, Rikku's hair falls on her face again as they dance rather exuberantly with the hot wind blowing on her face. While at most times she merely depends on the said wind to get it out of her face but at the times it becomes too out of control, which happens too often with the way she has her hair styled, she uses her hands to get them out of the way. On instinct she tries to reach out brush her hair out of the way, however she is always reminded that her hands tied tightly behind her. She squirms her hands for a moment, fingers naturally wriggling, trying to find some sort of comfort in their forced position behind her back. Then of course the awkward feeling that her hands are grazing Gippal somewhere as he sits behind her while maneuvering the desert mobile. Stuck in between his arms and forced to lean on him as the two of them sit on the vehicle, Rikku wants nothing more than to get out of the ropes that are holding her hands hostage. Though that would be the first problem, the next is finding a way to get her ankles unstrapped from both sides of the machine. Basically, she is forced to sit on it for more than one reason.

"Watch your hand there little girl!" Gippal yells as loud as he can through the blaring wind. "You don't stop squirming, and you might graze an area that I don't think you should be touching at your age!"

Gippal's voice didn't have a hard time carrying over since his mouth is practically hover over Rikku's left ear as he looks over her shorter stature while driving. Again, the position she is in put in draws up more than enough awkward and agitating situations. Though Rikku can more than capsulize that it is on Gippal's doing that these said situations occur.

"Where the hell are you taking me?!"

"I'm surprised you haven't asked 'are we there yet' the whole entire time!"

As close range as they are, Rikku uses her elbows to nudge at Gippal, the sharp angle of her bones still having the proper affect despite the awkwardness of the action and the position of her arms. Gippal lets out a grunt and slightly swerves from the shock of the small action.

"You do know the rule about NOT messing with the driver, right?" As Gippal says that, one of his soldiers who are also on their own sand mobile speeds up so that he would be riding side by side with them. The obvious ploy of intimidation definitely prominent. "That and all that squirming around with your hands is making me think that you want to get away from our little road trip! That's not what you're trying to do, is it?"

With a growl, Rikku looks over her shoulder so that she would be able to get a glare at Gippal's eye.

"Where the hell are you taking me?" Her eyes still burning with anger.

"Shame you have a bad sense of direction when it comes to your own peoples' land," A few of Gippal's soldiers passes them while a couple still remain relatively close. "Otherwise you would be able to tell where I'm taking you for our second date. Maybe you've spent too much time with non Al Bhed people?"

The words that came out of his mouth did nothing to abate her anger or her frustration at this situation. Taking a deep breath, she looks forward, somewhat giving in at her situation for the moment. As it is there really isn't much for her to do to help her situation. As for right now, she is along for the ride. And the ride on its own remained as uneventful as it could be as contact between the two remained sparse. Once in a while Gippal would have a smart aleck comment or some kind of off the wall 'ice breaker' questions that Rikku ignored the whole time. Her attention still fixated on the route and she tried her best not to work on her binds since that would most likely get Gippal to retie them tighter. If she is to get herself out of this mess, she would need EVERY inch of progress intact and so far, she has gained very little but what she was hoping is that all her effort would count for something.

"Home sweet home," Eventually the vision of what seems to be an Al Bhed campsite caught her eyes along with Gippal's words. "Well, it will be your sweet home for a bit until we can get things situated."

Rikku tilts her head as it to catch a glance or perhaps to let Gippal know her displeasure through her glare. His face however is a bit stoic and she could only wonder what does 'situated' really means. As the destination gets closer and closer, Rikku starts to become more attentive of her surroundings and perhaps pick and choose choices on her escape. The entrance itself is heavily guarded for a campsite with a wall that is obviously made within a short amount of time. Barricaded and defensive Machinas installed, Rikku can also point out more than enough heavily armed Al Bheds patrolling on top of the walls. There are a two towers that could very well have snipers and/or watchmen, and Rikku hasn't even taken into consideration that as Gippal's vehicle slows down, two well built Al Bhed stands guards at the door with firearms ready. Rikku makes no eye contact with them as Gippal merely gives a head gesture towards her. Seems that they have been expecting her arrival and in this position, so with that, they stand back and allowed Gippal's vehicle in. Rikku can feel her heart beat faster as her fate seems to be getting closer to unveiling. Whatever plans are set for her, it is obvious that the kidnapping is going to get attention so whoever Gippal works for is prepared. Judging from the small army occupying this campsite, Rikku can feel that this faction of Al Bhed is among the ones that her father Cid does not have the highest respect for and vice versa. Though she always thought Gippal and his father had a good rapport with her father; she thought wrong apparently.

"Alright little one," The vehicle finally stops once they are deeper into the campsite. The tent they stopped in front of seems to have guards outside which most likely means this will be her place of captivity. "Let's see if we can get you comfortable."

The idea of comfortable to Gippal in regards to Rikku's predicament doesn't spell solace. In fact from what she can gather, she will be in far more discomfort than she would like. As Gippal eases himself off the vehicle, Rikku finally gets the breathing space that she has been longing, however that doesn't last long as he is upon her again, now crouching down, working on the straps on her ankles that are keeping her pretty secured on the vehicle. As soon as it loosens, she feels the wrinkles on her blue and white boots ease off and they start to take their usual 'lax' form. Walking over to her other leg, Gippal does the exact same thing and again Rikku can feel the movement of her legs unhindered. The whole time he was unstrapping her legs, Rikku kept her eyes on her daggers still sheathed on his belt. Though she has lost sight of the one who has her items and garment grid, gaining her daggers back would prove a bit more promising than being bare handed. Though the idea of being in an almost fortress campsite filled with heavily armed men, the fact that she is outnumbered and practically in the open, and the fact that her hands are still tautly tied behind her, Rikku could hold off on impulsive 'show them what you got' tactic. Besides, if she wanted to be that reckless, earlier would've been a bit more prudent when she had ALL of her belongings. As of right now, she is as Gippal has her: a somewhat compliant captive.

Gippal's grip on her arm is now reaffirmed which gets Rikku to ease off the vehicle in a somewhat rough manner. Though he could be a bit more aggressive so she is thankful he gives her enough time to catch her steps and her balance since it is a bit odd getting off such a mobile without the usual mobility of her hands. Leading her to the obvious holding tent, Rikku again scans every bit of detail as much as she can trying to find something that she could perhaps use to her advantage; again not gaining any new knowledge that she didn't observe from earlier on. Passing the two guards and into the tent, Rikku is now ushered, stumbling a bit forward while Gippal closes the tent behind them. It is at that moment that Rikku is able to observe what would most likely be her 'place' of rest for however long she will be detained; or at least how long they can detain her until she escapes. Naturally, it is a tent of mundane features with no real furniture to keep one comfortable or anything that could aid her to loosen her bonds.

"You still haven't told me what the hell you want from me." Rikku turns around finally breaking the more than awkward silence. The defiant glare burning right through Gippal.

"I'm just the delivery guy, Rikku," Grabbing her by her arm again, Gippal pulls her towards the other side of the tent away from the entrance. Of course the rather abrupt manner he did elicited a squeal from Rikku and a bit of an instinctive fight. "Not my place to say what's going on. Nor do I want to."

There was a slight pause in movement after Gippal's last statement that evokes a raised brow on Rikku's expression. A bit curious as to why there was a slight change in Gippal's gesture and his expression altogether.

"Gi- HEY!"

Though that curiosity fades away real quickly and reverts back to pure anger when Gippal forces her to sit on her butt rather painfully. Finding her back leaning on the frame of the tent, Rikku can then feel Gippal grabbing her ankles and forcing them together and before long, the same rope that keeps her hands hostage are being looped around her ankles. Again his rope work in play as he wraps them around the form of her boots, constantly pulling to make sure the said rope held tight. Rikku lets out grunts of discomfort through the process as she can feel the leather of her footwear starts to distort from the constriction. With one final pull and an unreachable knot, Rikku's legs are securely tied together. A small movement on Rikku's part causes the rope to further wrinkle the material of her boots which of course is a sign that her bondage will not be an easy thing to undo with the discomfort it already provides; Both her hands and feet alike.

"You're not going to be loud are you?"

Having her attention focused on her new binds for the past few moments, Rikku was a bit oblivious that Gippal had pulled out a black cloth in his hand and tied a knot in the middle. Now that she notices it, she cringes and of course her glare burns even further through him.

"You're not putting that in my mouth." Rikku clench her lips together, trying her best to seal them shut, trying her best to delay the inevitable.

"Who am I kidding, you're going to be loud," Gippal leans closer getting ready to gag Rikku. Her response is nothing short of anger as she shrivels away as best as she can given the circumstance of her position. "Come on, Rikku. You can make this easier on yourself you know. At least I'm not stuffing anything in your mouth or tie you up to a more fun position."

Rikku's little defiance stops almost instantaneously with those words. Though being gagged isn't exactly something Rikku wanted to happen, the thought of things could be worse is far more of a incriminating picture so with a heavy sigh between her sealed lips, Rikku becomes stark still as she opens her mouth, making things easy for Gippal to apply the gag; Of course her glare remaining as vehement as possible.

"Of course this won't mute you completely since we _both_ know how loud you can be," Placing the knot between her teeth, Gippal then proceeds to tie the gag behind her head, pushing her downwards a bit. The ruffling of her disheveled braided hair echoing in the tense air. "But I'm sure this will make it a bit difficult for you to be totally as mouthy as you usually are."

"Ffuhnu ufh mnuhg!"

The cloth digs into the corners of her mouth rather aggravatingly as Gippal finishes the last pull for the knot with some of her hair being trapped with the black cloth. And while it doesn't silence her completely, it does serve to be as annoying as Gippal had stated so her screaming and letting out her complaints won't be as easy as she would like. Pushing her head back, of course he is met with Rikku's unhappy expression; her spiral green eyes almost flickering with rage as he still keeps the same sardonic look on his face.

"Look, behave and this might not be as bad as it seems. Cause some problems, and well, I can't say that I can be of any use to you."

Petting her head like she was some pet further ignites her rage and of course even her flinching away does nothing to deter him from doing the degrading gesture. Biting down on the knot between her lips, Rikku narrows her eyes even further and decides to let out some nonsense through her gag.

"Uh funuuuh Gmpfpfuhn! Whnn Uh gnf uuf uf fhmf fmfuuhfmun M'm gumng fu muhgn fuuhn fuuhf ufh'nn fhn unuuuhmng FWU nunpfuhffhnf! Ufh MNUG ufh uun'f gnf uhuuhu umfh fhmf!"

Shrugging his shoulders, Gippal stands up and makes his exit, opening the tent and closing it quickly cutting off the bright light from outside rather abruptly. Alone, bound, and gagged, Rikku's temper starts to shuffle through the events of the day that led her to this moment and in frustration, Rikku starts to struggle wildly against her binds. Pulling, twisting her wrists, kicking her bound legs, shaking her head in every known direction, and fruitlessly and frivolously struggling. It took a few moments before the depletion of her energy catches up to her. With that, Rikku lets out a sigh through her knotted cleave gag and leans her back on the tent wall. Chest heaving as she takes in every air that she can, Rikku knows that she has to do this tactfully if she is to get out. Bringing her knees closer to get a bit more of a stable posture that was lost through her struggling, Rikku can't help but feel one of her foot somewhat budging from the confines of her boot. Not much but as she wiggles her toes, Rikku couldn't help but wonder. Perhaps …

**_To Be Continued…._**


End file.
